Official Statistics

Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: October to December 2024

Published 15 May 2025

Applies to England and Wales

© Crown copyright 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knife-and-offensive-weapon-sentencing-statistics-2024/knife-and-offensive-weapon-sentencing-statistics-october-to-december-2024

1. Main Table

The overall number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) has increased since 2023 from 19,996 to 20,422. This represents a 2.1% increase compared to the year ending December 2023 but an increase of 25% over the last decade.
The proportion of offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence was 30.9% in the year ending December 2024. The proportion of offenders receiving immediate custody has seen a decrease of 1.5 percentage points since the year ending December 2023. Compared to a decade ago, there has been an increase of 1.4 percentage points.
The average immediate custodial sentence length received by offenders sentenced for convictions under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 was 7.9 months in the year ending December 2024. This is an increase from 7.6 months in the year ending December 2023 and an increase from 7.2 months in the year ending December 2016.
The proportion of first-time offenders for a knife and offensive weapon offence for the year ending December 2024 was 68%. The proportion of first-time knife and offensive weapon offences has seen a decrease of 7.3 percentage points over the last decade. It also represents the lowest proportion of first-time offenders over the decade.

This publication presents key statistics describing the trends in the number of offenders receiving cautions and convictions for possession of a knife or offensive weapon offence in England and Wales. This also includes offences involving threatening with either type of weapon.

For any feedback related to the content of this publication, please let us know at MOJPNCteam@justice.gov.uk

2. Statistician’s Comment

This publication covers the period to the end of December 2024 including analysis of single threatening offences dealt with under the Sentencing Act 2020.

Over the most recent year, the number of knife and offensive weapon cases dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) saw an increase of 2.1% to 20,422, but remained below pre-covid levels, with 30.9% of those resulting in immediate custody. In the most recent year, possession of an article with a blade or point continued to constitute the highest proportion of all knife and offensive weapon sentencing offences (69%).

In the last decade there has been an upward trend in the average adult immediate custody sentence length for all knife and offensive weapon offences, now sitting at 8.1 months (an increase of 8.7% since year ending December 2014). We have seen the opposite trend within the 10 to 17-year-old cohort, where the average immediate custody sentence length now sits at 7 months (a decrease of 2.5% since year ending December 2014).

Please be aware that figures from 2020 onwards have been impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the operational restrictions imposed and the continued court backlog. Figures for Q2 and Q3 2022 will have been impacted by industrial action taken by the Criminal Bar Association.

3. Overall - Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing

The overall number of knife and offensive weapon offences formally dealt with by the Criminal Justice System (CJS) over the latest year ending December 2024 was 20,422. This is an increase of 2.1% compared to the previous year ending December 2023.

3.1 Overall offences by offence type

The overall number of knife and offensive weapon offences formally dealt with by the CJS over the latest year was 20,422, with the total amount of offences staying within the range of 16,312 and 22,480 over the last ten years. Possession of an article with a blade or point represents the highest proportion (68.7%) of all knife and offensive weapon offences over the latest year.

Figure 1: Number of Knife and offensive weapon offences by offence type, in England and Wales, annually from 2014 to 2024

Possession of an offensive weapon offences accounted for 26.2% of total offences in the year ending December 2024. The number of these offences was 5,352, which represents the lowest number of possession of an offensive weapon offences over the last ten years. This was a decrease compared to both the previous year (2.8% decrease) and the year ending December 2014 (13.5% decrease).

Threatening with a knife or offensive weapon offences accounted for 5.1% of total offences in the latest year. The number of threatening with a knife or offensive weapon offences has seen an increase of 18.5% compared to the previous year and has nearly doubled[footnote 1] since in the year ending December 2014.

3.2 Overall changes in offences by sentencing type[footnote 2]

In the year ending December 2024, 6,315 offences resulted in an immediate custodial sentence. These offences were responsible for 30.9% of total knife and offensive weapon offences, compared to 29.6% in the year ending December 2014 and 32.4% in the year ending December 2023. Over the latest year the number of offences resulting in immediate custody has decreased by 2.5%, but over the decade the number of offences resulting in immediate custody increased by 30.9%.

Figure 2: Percentage change of knife and offensive weapon offences by sentencing type, in England and Wales, compared to 2023 and 2014

Compared to the year ending December 2014, the number of offences resulting in suspended sentences showed the largest increase (90%). Over the same period, the number of offences resulting in an absolute or conditional discharge showed the largest decrease (48%).

Offences resulting in immediate custody were still the most common outcome of all knife and offensive weapon offences (31%) in the year ending December 2024. The second and third most common outcomes were offences resulting in a Suspended sentence (25%) and Community sentence (23%), respectively.

3.3 Overall by age[footnote 3]

There were 16,865 adult knife and offence weapon offences in the latest year, an increase of 26.1% compared to ten years ago. The latest year saw 3,544 10 to 17-year-olds knife and offence weapon offences dealt with by the CJS, an increase of 20.7% compared to ten years ago.

Figure 3: Number of adults offenders who have received certain sentence types in England and Wales, annually from 2014 to 2024

The number of offences involving adult offenders which resulted in immediate custody in year ending December 2024 decreased by 1.6% compared to the previous year but increased by 35.5% compared to ten years ago. The number of offences involving adult offenders which resulted in a suspended sentence has increased both compared to the previous year and a decade ago, by 7% and 90% respectively.

For offences dealt with involving 10 to 17-year-old offenders in year ending December 2024, the most common sentence that 10 to 17-year-olds received was community sentence, this represents 58.4% of all knife and offensive weapon offences for 10 to 17-year-olds. 220 offences sentenced to immediate custody, representing a 33.1% decrease over the decade.

4. Sentencing Lengths

In 2024, average immediate custody length for all knife and offensive weapons offences reached 8 months, its highest level over the decade.

4.1 Immediate Custody Sentencing Proportions

Of all knife or offensive weapon offences in the year ending December 2024, 12% of offenders received an immediate custodial sentence for three months or less, 47% received an immediate custodial sentence of over three and up to and including six months. While 41% received an immediate custodial sentence of over six months.

Figure 4: Proportion of offenders who received immediate custody by sentence lengths, England and Wales, annually from 2014 to 2024

Over the last decade the proportion of offenders receiving a sentence length of 3 to 6 months, has seen an increase of 19 percentage points compared to the year ending December 2014. Over the same period there has also been a sharp decrease in the number of offenders receiving a sentence of 3 months or less, a decrease of 23 percentage points compared to the year ending December 2014.

4.2 Immediate Custody Average Sentence Lengths

The average immediate custody sentence for all knife and offensive weapon offences was 8 months in the year end December 2024. This is an increase of 4.2% compared to the previous year and an increase of 8.5% compared to ten years ago.

Figure 5: Percentage change of knife and offensive weapon offences by average sentence length, in England and Wales, compared to 2023 and 2014

Compared to the year ending December 2014, threatening offences showed the biggest increase in average sentence length for offenders receiving immediate custody (28% increase, average sentence length 11.7 months in year ending December 2014 compared to 15.0 months in year ending December 2024).

In the same period, Offensive weapon offenders showed the biggest decrease in average sentence length for all knife and offensive weapon offences (18% decrease, average sentence length of 8.3 months in year ending December 2014 compared to 6.9 months in in year ending December 2024).

5. Repeat Offenders Sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020

Over the latest year 4,595 repeat possession occasions were sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020.

5.1 Overall - Offenders Sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020

Over the latest year a total of 4,595 repeat possession occasions were sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020, with 4,329 repeat adult possession occasions and 266 repeat 16 to 17-year-olds possession occasions.

Figure 6: Number of repeat possession occasions sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020, annually from 2016 to 2024, in England and Wales

In the year ending December 2024, 58.7% of all repeat possession occasions received immediate custody, a decrease of 4.3 percentage points compared to the previous year. In the same period there has been an increase in adults receiving suspended sentences (13.7%) and an increase in 16-to-17-year-olds receiving a youth rehabilitation order (2.2%).

5.2 Sentencing Length - Offenders Sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020

In the year ending December 2024 the average sentence length for repeat offenders sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020 was 7.9 months. The average sentence length for repeat adult offenders was 7.9 months and the average sentence length for 16-to-17-year-old repeat offenders was 6.1 months.

Figure 7: Percentage change for average sentence length for repeat offenders sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020, by age, compared to 2023 and 2016, in England and Wales

Compared to the previous year, 16-to-17-year-olds have had the only decrease in sentence length (decrease of 1.7%), however, this number should be handled with care due to the small volume of offenders. Adults have seen an increase of 3% compared to the previous year and an increase of 9.1% since 2016. The average sentence length for repeat offenders has fluctuated over the period between 7.2 months and 7.9 months.

5.3 By plea[footnote 4] - Offenders Sentenced under Section 315 of the Sentencing Act 2020

In the latest year, 93.2% of all repeat possession offences pleaded guilty. This is a 0.9 percentage point increase compared to the year ending December 2023 and a 0.9 percentage point increase since the year ending December 2016.

The proportion of guilty plea repeat possession offences which received immediate custody in the year ending December 2024 was 58.4%. The number of guilty plea repeat possession offences which received immediate custody decreased 0.5% over the latest year and increased 15.7% since year ending December 2016.

6. Offender History

In the year ending December 2024, 68.1% of offenders who were formally dealt with had committed their first knife or offensive weapon offence.

The proportion of first-time knife and offensive weapons offenders has seen a decrease of 7.3 percentage points over the decade. Although this proportion has fallen, the total number of first-time offenders has increased from 11,528 a decade ago to 12,520 in the latest year.

Figure 8: Percentage of total number of previous cautions or convictions in England and Wales, 2024 compared to 2014

The effect of the fall in first-time offenders has increased the totals in offenders who have one or more previous conviction and or caution.

7. Further Information

The data presented are provisional and updated in each publication. Figures provided for more recent quarters are subject to change in future publications as ongoing cases pass through the Criminal Justice System.

A technical guide providing further information on how the data is collected and processed, as well as information on the revisions in policy and legislation relevant to knife and offensive weapon sentencing, can be found here.

The bulletin now includes an analysis of convictions for threatening offences under the Sentencing Act 2020. The minimum sentences are the same as repeat possession offences, except threatening offences can be a first offence or a subsequent offence.

We welcome feedback on the publication. Please direct any comments or questions to MOJPNCteam@justice.gov.uk.

7.1 Accompanying files

As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release:

  • ODS format tables containing data on knife or offensive weapon offences up to the end of December 2024
  • An interactive table tool to look at previous offences involving possession of a blade, point or offensive weapon. The tool provides further breakdowns by officer recorded sex, police-identified ethnicity and prosecuting police force area.

7.2 Official Statistics status

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact the OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

7.3 Future publications

Our statisticians regularly review the content of publications. Development of new and improved statistical outputs is usually dependent on reallocating existing resources. As part of our continual review and prioritisation, we welcome user feedback on existing outputs including content, breadth, frequency, and methodology. Please send any comments you have on this publication including suggestions for further developments or reductions in content.

7.4 Contact

Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice Enquiries Team:

  • Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/media-enquiries

Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to the Analysis directorate of the Ministry of Justice:

Next update: 21 August 2025

© Crown copyright Produced by the Ministry of Justice Alternative formats are available on request from MOJPNCteam@justice.gov.uk

  1. Offences involving threatening with a knife or offensive weapon in a public place or on school premises were introduced on 3rd December 2012. ↩

  2. The Other category has not been included in figure 2 and the following percentage change comparisons as the rates are more susceptible to change. It includes cases awaiting final sentencing decisions, which may then move to other categories once the decision is known. ↩

  3. Adults and juvenile offenders do not include offenders where there is no age recorded on the system. ↩

  4. The plea breakdown in this statistical bulletin does not include offenders who have no plea of guilty or not guilty recorded on the system. ↩

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